The Broken Bow City Council met in regular session Tuesday, July 28 in the Council Chambers of the Broken Bow Municipal Building. Mayor Rod Sonnichsen called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. All members of the Council were present for Tuesday evening’s meeting.
Youth E-Bike Restrictions Approved
After a quick review of the Consent Agenda, including minutes from prior meetings and financial matters, the Council moved on to what would be the final public hearing on Ordinance 1313, addressing the use of personal electric vehicles such as e-bikes, hoverboards and e-scooters.
City Administrator David Schmidt noted that two additional changes had been made to the ordinance following the prior public hearing. One minor change corrected language regarding the area affected by the ordinance, removing reference to Broken Bow’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
The primary change added language allowing youth with a valid provisional operator’s permit (POP) or drivers license to operate an electric bike, hoverboard, or scooter on most roads throughout town. Schmidt noted the change was designed to ease some of the restrictions previously in place. The ordinance previously limited youth riders’ access to any road where the speed limit exceeded 25 mph.
A POP or operator’s permit is still required for youth to ride an electric bike, hoverboard, or scooter within the business district, and such vehicles are banned from inside the City Square.
Council Member Joe Wamsley asked for clarification on what was considered “the square” where all riders are prohibited. Schmidt stated this was just within the downtown square itself, and does not include the streets around the square.
With no other public comment on the ordinance, the Council waived further readings of the ordinance, and passed the new rules unanimously.
Nuisance Property Discussed, and Upcoming Meetings Scheduled
During Public Comments, two Broken Bow residents came forward to lodge a complaint against a neighbor, who they said was keeping a large number and variety of livestock, creating noise and odors affecting their neighborhood. The individuals noted they had lodged complaints with the City and Police in the past, and wanted to know what additional actions they could take to have the situation resolved.
Schmidt indicated that the property is known to the City, and additional action is currently awaiting documentation from an outside review. In the meantime, the residents were encouraged to continue documenting their concerns and provide written statements for the record. Sonnichsen noted that while City ordinances do not limit livestock in within city limits, it does contain language against livestock that cause offensive smells and noise.
Two upcoming meetings are likely to be of interest to Broken Bow Residents.
Zoning Administrator Jacob Holcomb noted that the second round of Data Center ordinance discussions would be held in the Municipal Building Auditorium on Thursday, August 6 at 12:00 noon.
The annual City Budget Workshop will be held starting at 11:00 on Tuesday August 11 at the Municipal Building. Both meetings are open to the public.
The regular Broken Bow City Council Meeting will be held following the Budget Workshop on August 11.
With no further business to address, the Broken Bow City Council adjourned at 6:21 PM.
